The NBA Suit-Maker Who Evaded Millions of Taxes

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It was still about 40 degrees outside, but esteemed tailor Mohan Ramchandani could've probably used one of his studio's Australian wool "anti-sweat" suits yesterday. Ramchandani has made suits for former mayors — Guiliani, Koch — and big-time basketball players like Wilt Chamberlain, Patrick Ewing, Manute Bol, and, of course, Clyde Frazier. He charged them thousands (it's not easy to find a quality suit when you're upwards of seven feet tall), made millions, and then didn't pay his taxes, underreporting his income by $22.4 million, under his own admission. For that, he'll pay about $5.5M and serve between one and three years in prison.

According to a New York Times profile of him from '93, after a call from Ewing's mother, Ramchandani made him a $250 gray herringbone suit, back when he was dominating the Big East. It was his first time fitting an oversize athlete's frame; and when Ewing moved to the Garden, a short distance from his shop, he received a big endorsement in the sports market. Then, Clyde followed. "I used to see Mike advertising Ewing and Mark Jackson," Frazier told the Times, "so I went over there a couple of years ago, and I said: 'Hey, man, I'm the dress guy. What are you doing with these guys? I'm the Clyde.' "

Though the most interesting thing about Ramchandani — and it's hard to beat a relationship with Clyde — may be tied up in his tax evasion. As the Timesexplained:

Investigators poring through his tax records noticed an odd (or, rather, even) trend: the digits of the store's reported sales figures always added up to multiples of 10. So for one quarter, Mr. Ramchandani claimed to owe sales taxes of $13,484, the individual digits of which add up to 20. The man with the measuring tape around his neck, it turns out, believes in numerology.

So there you have it: an NBA tailor, a tax-evader, and a numerologist.

Oh, and for those wondering: He wore a dark blue three-piece — two buttons, natural shoulders — to court yesterday. Doubtful it comes in prison stripes or jumpsuit orange. Though he has made uncommon suits before.